Prologue
When Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts from the Durleys’ he finds that Dumbledore has been killed, Voldemort has taken over as headmaster, and has started and incestuous relationship with Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore's Ghost tells Harry that Voldemort killed him with Wizard Ear Poison. So Harry decides to kill Voldemort. He then pretends that he is mad, and kills Draco Malfoy, believing him to be Voldemort. As a result he is sent into the Chamber of Secrets with Crabbe and Goyle. He escapes and finds his friend Ron.
Scene I
Graveyard Enter Hagrid and Filch
Filch: Hagrid, whose grave is this?
Hagrid: Cho Chang. She died during Quidditch
Filch: Oh, was she the one who was cheating?
Hagrid: Cheating?
Filch: That’s how she died.
Hagrid: Who accused her of cheating?
Filch: That’s what I heard all over the news.
Hagrid: I would not give her a proper burial if she was cheating.
Filch: She was cheating.
Hagrid: She was not cheating
Filch: Yes she was.
Hagrid: How was she cheating?
Filch: You don’t even read your news, do you?
Hagrid: No I don’t. But I still know she wasn’t cheating
Filch: You don’t know anything. Exits
Enter Harry and Ron
Harry: Hello, Hagrid.
Ron: Hagrid, How you doing?
Hagrid: Harry!
Ron: And Ron!
Hagrid: Ron, yeah Ron. Sure.
Harry: Who are you burying?
Hagrid: Oh, some lady. Have you seen this before? Pulls out snitch
Harry: Wow, it’s and old snitch!
Ron: It is a snitch!
Harry: It was probably used by so many people of old. Maybe even by my father. O snitch, that was with Gryffindor, and Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. How the history goes before it why I could have used this snitch…
Hagrid: So… can I have my snitch back?
Harry: why would you want it?
Hagrid: It’s mine.
Harry: But you gave it to me.
Hagrid: I let you see it.
Harry: There are plenty over there.
Hagrid: I see none.
Harry: Plenty!
Hagrid: You know what, Harry. You keep it.
Harry: Why thank you Hagrid. I will cherish it.
Hagrid: Now leave while I finish whoever I am burying.
Harry: OK.
Ron: Well that was nice of him.
Harry: Quite Nice.
Exit Harry and Ron
Harry goes and hides behind a bush waiting to see whom the burial is for. He sees Snape and rushes towards him.
Snape: Harry Potter!
Harry: What are you doing here?
Snape: Cho was my student.
Harry No She wasn’t! Expelliarmus!
Snape’s wand flies away. Voldemort Enters
Voldemort: Wait, Wait. Voldemort is thinking. A duel, a duel between you two.
Harry: Oh no Voldemort!
Scene Two
Enter Harry and Ron inside Hogwarts
Ron: Harry you never told me how you escaped the chamber of secrets
Harry: Well Ron, It’s quite simple. Voldemort ordered me two go to the Chamber of Secrets with Crabbe and Goyle, who as we both know are morons.
Ron: Of course.
Harry: So in the chamber, there is an evil monster, a basilisk, named Quigley, and Voldemort had ordered him to eat me. Now a basilisk is just a large snake, so when Crabbe and Goyle weren’t looking I told the snake in parseltounge to eat them instead.
Ron: Wow that was kind of anticlimactic.
Harry: A bit, yes. Is that Neville?
Enter Neville
Neville: Harry, Harry! Voldemort sent me to discuss the terms of the duel.
Harry: Neville, Where’s your hat?
Neville: Uhh I’m holding it.
Harry: Right, and where should it go?
Neville: On my head. Puts on hat.
Harry: Very good. So what are the terms?
Neville: Well… Voldemort wants you to duel Snape?
Harry: Yeah I got that much…. Put your hat on.
Neville: Puts hat on … with wands
Ron: I don’t know Harry. Voldemort doesn’t usually play fair.
Harry: I have my chance at killing Voldemort, and if that is the case, then I am ready to die. I have waited long enough, and now I must take action. I will kill Voldemort, and if I die in the process… so be it.
Neville: Wow, that’s deep.
Ron: Take your hat off Neville.
The Great Hall Enter Voldemort, Prof. McGonagall, Harry, Snape, Ron
Voldemort: I Voldemort do announce this duel. I want a clean fight. Whoever shall win will drink from this amazing non-poisoned king-like chalice. Remember I said non-poisoned, which I will test for everyone, to prove Drinks I’m fine. Isn’t that right, Professor McGonagall.
McGonagall: Yes.
Duel Begins
Harry: Good Luck, Snape.
Snape: Good Luck, Harry.
Voldemort poisons cup
Harry: Stupendium!
Snape: Excalaber!
Harry: Deflectus!
Snape: Hocus Pocus!
McGonagall: Oh Harry, you’re doing so well, let me get you a drink!
Harry: You may take the first drink Professor McGonagall.
McGonagall: All right.
Voldemort: No, Professor, don’t!
Harry: I’m sure that it’s not poisoned. Voldemort said it wasn’t.
McGonagall: It tastes like poison. She dies.
Harry: Ooooohhh!
Snape: Killhimbutnotrightnowarous!
Harry: Oh no, I’ve been hit! If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well kill Voldemort. Abra Kadabera! Voldemort dies. Now that Voldemort’s killed let me get Snape. Mortus!
Snape: Oh No I’ve been hit. Harry, I was a pawn in Voldemort’s wizard chess. You were not wrong for killing Malfoy. I am the Half-Blooded Prince.
Harry: Oh the spell is sinking in. Ron, Ron, tell my story in a set of seven books. Contact J.K. Rowling, she’ll know what to do.
Ron: Aww man, I don’t want to clean all this stuff up. I should probably kill myself. But I’ve got to write those books for Harry. All right lets think of some titles… Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, no Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. That’ll appeal to Americans. All right, man, this is gonna be like eight thousand pages. I wonder if there’s any money in it. An owl flies in and drops a letter. Oh what’s that? Thank You, owl. Crabbe and Goyle are dead. Well that’s completely useless. Harry already told me that. Throws away letter. All right it looks like everything wrapped up into a nice neat package I just wonder what will happen to the kingdom.
Enter Edward Cullen
Ron: Who are you?
Edward: Take a guess.
Ron, Your hands are cold as ice, you’re leading an army, and you’re Norwegian.
Edward: Say it!
Ron: Fortinbras!
Hamlet Project:
Rationale
Setting:
• The setting seen in this Harry Potter-esque adaptation of Hamlet is very similar to that of the original. Although the country has changed from Denmark to England, the idea of being on the grounds of a castle has been kept the same. Although the castle may have a different name, the same ideas of a great hall and other notable locations described in Hamlet have been left untouched.
Characters:
• Hamlet = Harry Potter: This parallel was drawn from both characters taking the role of the protagonist in their respective works. Each character displays heroic traits ranging from brute strength to intelligence.
• Horatio = Ron Weasley: This connection was chosen because of each characters relationship with the protagonist in each story. Both act as side-kicks and helpers in the story.
• Laertes = Snape: Snape was chosen as a shadow of Laertes because of their relationship with the protagonist. Both characters despise the protagonist, yet, in the end, show that their hate was misguided or only a farce. Also, both characters come around to the “good” in the end of both stories
• Claudius = Voldemort: Both characters are the main antagonists in each work. Voldemort and Claudius also share similar lusts for power and greed. Overall, both characters act as leaders of bad deeds in their respective books.
• Gertrude = Professor McGonagall: Gertrude and McGonagall act as motherly figures to Harry. Although McGonagall does not have a scandalous affair in the true series, the choice of her as representing Gertrude was more based on her connection to Harry and the fact that Harry’s true mother is dead in all the books.
• Grave Diggers = Hagrid and Filch: Both groups of characters act as caretakers to the grounds. Also, in the case of Hagrid and Filch, both would most likely argue, which is also seen between the two grave diggers.
• Ophelia = Cho Chang: Cho Chang is Harry Potter’s love interest, just as Ophelia is Hamlet’s. Thus, there is the connection between the characters that puts them at odds with the Laertes character.
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern = Crabb and Goyle: Both groups of characters have a connection to the protagonist and plot against the protagonist. Also, each are very bad at the job given to them in their respective works and end up perishing in the end.
• Osric = Neville Longbottom: both characters are very gullible and idiotic and would most likely end up in a situation involving the protagonist outwitting them.
• Fortinbras = Edward Cullen: The rise of popularity in the Twilight series acts like the rise of power in Norway. Cullen is the main figure at the head of the Twilight craze and Fortinbras is the leader of the Norwegian rebellion. Both also take power from the ruling party.
• English Ambassador = delivery owl: since this part is so small, it made sense to make it part of the Harry Potter universe by making it an owl delivering a message to the castle.
Scenes:
• Act 5 Scene 1:
o The settings and character presence in this scene is kept the same as written in the play of Hamlet. Only the content of the speeches and situations has been slightly altered
o Conversation between Grave Diggers: Instead of the conversation dwelling on the burial of Ophelia and it’s religious problems, the characters representing the grave diggers discuss a possible case of cheating by Cho Chang. They argue over whether or not Cho Chang cheated and if she should be buried in such a manner. This parallel can be found because of the social faux-pa found in each of the situations.
o Ophelia’s Death: Instead of Ophelia falling into a pond, Cho Chang dies by being hit with a bludger during a Quidditch game and then falling to her death.
o Skull Sequence: Instead of the grave diggers, Hamlet, and Horatio discussing the skulls of dead companions, their new representations discover snitches buried in the Earth. Harry remarks about how these snitches have been caught by the seekers of the past. He finally stumbles upon one that he once caught and reminisces about his fond times catching it. This change is rational because of both represent a discarding of the old and the puzzlement over the worth these people or things had in society.
o The Burial of Ophelia: The fight between Laertes and Hamlet is very much kept the same in the Harry Potter version. Harry and Snape fight over the body of Cho Chang; Harry because he loved her and Snape because he thought she was a good student. They then have a momentary duel using magic and then are told by Voldemort to wait until they have an official duel. This change works because the tension and relationships between characters is kept the same to a degree.
• Act 5 Scene 2:
o Recounting of Hamlet’s journey: In the Harry Potter version, Harry is being sent back to the Dursley’s house by Voldemort, instead of Hamlet being sent to England by Claudius. Both locations only mean bad news for each character. When Crabb and Goyle are taking Potter away, they get lost and find their way into the Chamber of Secrets. While Crabb and Goyle argue over what to do, Harry talks in Parsel Tongue to the Basilisk who then eats Crabb and Goyle. This action represents the rewriting of the letter (speaking of Parsel Tongue) and the being captured by pirates (getting lost in the Chamber of Secrets). Although this is quite the stretch, the events relate to each other. Both involve an unexpected situation occurring and the effects of that situation to the plot.
o Hat Sequence with Osric: This encounter with Osric, or in this case, Neville, has been kept quite close to the text. The entire hat sequence is kept in the text as well as discussion of rules.
o Duel: Most of the duel is kept the same in the Harry Potter version. There is still a poisoned cup which Gertrude (McGonagall) sips from that kills her. But, a major change is that the duel is a magical duel with wands. The poison tipped sword and the sword with a point are represented by spells. Also, instead of Claudius (Voldemort) dying by drinking from the cup and then being stabbed, he is instead hit by a spell by Harry. When all the fighting is over and only Hamlet (Harry) and Horatio (Ron) are alive, Harry tells Ron to tell his story in a seven novel series much in the same way Hamlet tells Horatio to recount his story. This parallel is rational because the main events are kept the same but for a few minor instances. Also, the changes made are only so slight as to accommodate the setting.
o Entrance of Fortinbras and English Ambassador: This entire scene is basically kept the same except for the character changes already stated.
General Rationale:
Overall, the connection between Hamlet and the Harry Potter series was drawn because of the great amount of similarities in characters. Although instances did not completely flow correctly, many moments work together quite well. Along with fitting different characters into different situations, there were enough characters in the Harry Potter series to draw from, which made finding similar characters rather easy. One can also see the parallels between Hamlet’s struggle for power and Harry Potter’s want to overthrow the evil reign of Voldemort. In the end, this choice was made because of the ease with which the stories could be melded.
When Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts from the Durleys’ he finds that Dumbledore has been killed, Voldemort has taken over as headmaster, and has started and incestuous relationship with Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore's Ghost tells Harry that Voldemort killed him with Wizard Ear Poison. So Harry decides to kill Voldemort. He then pretends that he is mad, and kills Draco Malfoy, believing him to be Voldemort. As a result he is sent into the Chamber of Secrets with Crabbe and Goyle. He escapes and finds his friend Ron.
Scene I
Graveyard Enter Hagrid and Filch
Filch: Hagrid, whose grave is this?
Hagrid: Cho Chang. She died during Quidditch
Filch: Oh, was she the one who was cheating?
Hagrid: Cheating?
Filch: That’s how she died.
Hagrid: Who accused her of cheating?
Filch: That’s what I heard all over the news.
Hagrid: I would not give her a proper burial if she was cheating.
Filch: She was cheating.
Hagrid: She was not cheating
Filch: Yes she was.
Hagrid: How was she cheating?
Filch: You don’t even read your news, do you?
Hagrid: No I don’t. But I still know she wasn’t cheating
Filch: You don’t know anything. Exits
Enter Harry and Ron
Harry: Hello, Hagrid.
Ron: Hagrid, How you doing?
Hagrid: Harry!
Ron: And Ron!
Hagrid: Ron, yeah Ron. Sure.
Harry: Who are you burying?
Hagrid: Oh, some lady. Have you seen this before? Pulls out snitch
Harry: Wow, it’s and old snitch!
Ron: It is a snitch!
Harry: It was probably used by so many people of old. Maybe even by my father. O snitch, that was with Gryffindor, and Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. How the history goes before it why I could have used this snitch…
Hagrid: So… can I have my snitch back?
Harry: why would you want it?
Hagrid: It’s mine.
Harry: But you gave it to me.
Hagrid: I let you see it.
Harry: There are plenty over there.
Hagrid: I see none.
Harry: Plenty!
Hagrid: You know what, Harry. You keep it.
Harry: Why thank you Hagrid. I will cherish it.
Hagrid: Now leave while I finish whoever I am burying.
Harry: OK.
Ron: Well that was nice of him.
Harry: Quite Nice.
Exit Harry and Ron
Harry goes and hides behind a bush waiting to see whom the burial is for. He sees Snape and rushes towards him.
Snape: Harry Potter!
Harry: What are you doing here?
Snape: Cho was my student.
Harry No She wasn’t! Expelliarmus!
Snape’s wand flies away. Voldemort Enters
Voldemort: Wait, Wait. Voldemort is thinking. A duel, a duel between you two.
Harry: Oh no Voldemort!
Scene Two
Enter Harry and Ron inside Hogwarts
Ron: Harry you never told me how you escaped the chamber of secrets
Harry: Well Ron, It’s quite simple. Voldemort ordered me two go to the Chamber of Secrets with Crabbe and Goyle, who as we both know are morons.
Ron: Of course.
Harry: So in the chamber, there is an evil monster, a basilisk, named Quigley, and Voldemort had ordered him to eat me. Now a basilisk is just a large snake, so when Crabbe and Goyle weren’t looking I told the snake in parseltounge to eat them instead.
Ron: Wow that was kind of anticlimactic.
Harry: A bit, yes. Is that Neville?
Enter Neville
Neville: Harry, Harry! Voldemort sent me to discuss the terms of the duel.
Harry: Neville, Where’s your hat?
Neville: Uhh I’m holding it.
Harry: Right, and where should it go?
Neville: On my head. Puts on hat.
Harry: Very good. So what are the terms?
Neville: Well… Voldemort wants you to duel Snape?
Harry: Yeah I got that much…. Put your hat on.
Neville: Puts hat on … with wands
Ron: I don’t know Harry. Voldemort doesn’t usually play fair.
Harry: I have my chance at killing Voldemort, and if that is the case, then I am ready to die. I have waited long enough, and now I must take action. I will kill Voldemort, and if I die in the process… so be it.
Neville: Wow, that’s deep.
Ron: Take your hat off Neville.
The Great Hall Enter Voldemort, Prof. McGonagall, Harry, Snape, Ron
Voldemort: I Voldemort do announce this duel. I want a clean fight. Whoever shall win will drink from this amazing non-poisoned king-like chalice. Remember I said non-poisoned, which I will test for everyone, to prove Drinks I’m fine. Isn’t that right, Professor McGonagall.
McGonagall: Yes.
Duel Begins
Harry: Good Luck, Snape.
Snape: Good Luck, Harry.
Voldemort poisons cup
Harry: Stupendium!
Snape: Excalaber!
Harry: Deflectus!
Snape: Hocus Pocus!
McGonagall: Oh Harry, you’re doing so well, let me get you a drink!
Harry: You may take the first drink Professor McGonagall.
McGonagall: All right.
Voldemort: No, Professor, don’t!
Harry: I’m sure that it’s not poisoned. Voldemort said it wasn’t.
McGonagall: It tastes like poison. She dies.
Harry: Ooooohhh!
Snape: Killhimbutnotrightnowarous!
Harry: Oh no, I’ve been hit! If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well kill Voldemort. Abra Kadabera! Voldemort dies. Now that Voldemort’s killed let me get Snape. Mortus!
Snape: Oh No I’ve been hit. Harry, I was a pawn in Voldemort’s wizard chess. You were not wrong for killing Malfoy. I am the Half-Blooded Prince.
Harry: Oh the spell is sinking in. Ron, Ron, tell my story in a set of seven books. Contact J.K. Rowling, she’ll know what to do.
Ron: Aww man, I don’t want to clean all this stuff up. I should probably kill myself. But I’ve got to write those books for Harry. All right lets think of some titles… Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, no Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. That’ll appeal to Americans. All right, man, this is gonna be like eight thousand pages. I wonder if there’s any money in it. An owl flies in and drops a letter. Oh what’s that? Thank You, owl. Crabbe and Goyle are dead. Well that’s completely useless. Harry already told me that. Throws away letter. All right it looks like everything wrapped up into a nice neat package I just wonder what will happen to the kingdom.
Enter Edward Cullen
Ron: Who are you?
Edward: Take a guess.
Ron, Your hands are cold as ice, you’re leading an army, and you’re Norwegian.
Edward: Say it!
Ron: Fortinbras!
Hamlet Project:
Rationale
Setting:
• The setting seen in this Harry Potter-esque adaptation of Hamlet is very similar to that of the original. Although the country has changed from Denmark to England, the idea of being on the grounds of a castle has been kept the same. Although the castle may have a different name, the same ideas of a great hall and other notable locations described in Hamlet have been left untouched.
Characters:
• Hamlet = Harry Potter: This parallel was drawn from both characters taking the role of the protagonist in their respective works. Each character displays heroic traits ranging from brute strength to intelligence.
• Horatio = Ron Weasley: This connection was chosen because of each characters relationship with the protagonist in each story. Both act as side-kicks and helpers in the story.
• Laertes = Snape: Snape was chosen as a shadow of Laertes because of their relationship with the protagonist. Both characters despise the protagonist, yet, in the end, show that their hate was misguided or only a farce. Also, both characters come around to the “good” in the end of both stories
• Claudius = Voldemort: Both characters are the main antagonists in each work. Voldemort and Claudius also share similar lusts for power and greed. Overall, both characters act as leaders of bad deeds in their respective books.
• Gertrude = Professor McGonagall: Gertrude and McGonagall act as motherly figures to Harry. Although McGonagall does not have a scandalous affair in the true series, the choice of her as representing Gertrude was more based on her connection to Harry and the fact that Harry’s true mother is dead in all the books.
• Grave Diggers = Hagrid and Filch: Both groups of characters act as caretakers to the grounds. Also, in the case of Hagrid and Filch, both would most likely argue, which is also seen between the two grave diggers.
• Ophelia = Cho Chang: Cho Chang is Harry Potter’s love interest, just as Ophelia is Hamlet’s. Thus, there is the connection between the characters that puts them at odds with the Laertes character.
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern = Crabb and Goyle: Both groups of characters have a connection to the protagonist and plot against the protagonist. Also, each are very bad at the job given to them in their respective works and end up perishing in the end.
• Osric = Neville Longbottom: both characters are very gullible and idiotic and would most likely end up in a situation involving the protagonist outwitting them.
• Fortinbras = Edward Cullen: The rise of popularity in the Twilight series acts like the rise of power in Norway. Cullen is the main figure at the head of the Twilight craze and Fortinbras is the leader of the Norwegian rebellion. Both also take power from the ruling party.
• English Ambassador = delivery owl: since this part is so small, it made sense to make it part of the Harry Potter universe by making it an owl delivering a message to the castle.
Scenes:
• Act 5 Scene 1:
o The settings and character presence in this scene is kept the same as written in the play of Hamlet. Only the content of the speeches and situations has been slightly altered
o Conversation between Grave Diggers: Instead of the conversation dwelling on the burial of Ophelia and it’s religious problems, the characters representing the grave diggers discuss a possible case of cheating by Cho Chang. They argue over whether or not Cho Chang cheated and if she should be buried in such a manner. This parallel can be found because of the social faux-pa found in each of the situations.
o Ophelia’s Death: Instead of Ophelia falling into a pond, Cho Chang dies by being hit with a bludger during a Quidditch game and then falling to her death.
o Skull Sequence: Instead of the grave diggers, Hamlet, and Horatio discussing the skulls of dead companions, their new representations discover snitches buried in the Earth. Harry remarks about how these snitches have been caught by the seekers of the past. He finally stumbles upon one that he once caught and reminisces about his fond times catching it. This change is rational because of both represent a discarding of the old and the puzzlement over the worth these people or things had in society.
o The Burial of Ophelia: The fight between Laertes and Hamlet is very much kept the same in the Harry Potter version. Harry and Snape fight over the body of Cho Chang; Harry because he loved her and Snape because he thought she was a good student. They then have a momentary duel using magic and then are told by Voldemort to wait until they have an official duel. This change works because the tension and relationships between characters is kept the same to a degree.
• Act 5 Scene 2:
o Recounting of Hamlet’s journey: In the Harry Potter version, Harry is being sent back to the Dursley’s house by Voldemort, instead of Hamlet being sent to England by Claudius. Both locations only mean bad news for each character. When Crabb and Goyle are taking Potter away, they get lost and find their way into the Chamber of Secrets. While Crabb and Goyle argue over what to do, Harry talks in Parsel Tongue to the Basilisk who then eats Crabb and Goyle. This action represents the rewriting of the letter (speaking of Parsel Tongue) and the being captured by pirates (getting lost in the Chamber of Secrets). Although this is quite the stretch, the events relate to each other. Both involve an unexpected situation occurring and the effects of that situation to the plot.
o Hat Sequence with Osric: This encounter with Osric, or in this case, Neville, has been kept quite close to the text. The entire hat sequence is kept in the text as well as discussion of rules.
o Duel: Most of the duel is kept the same in the Harry Potter version. There is still a poisoned cup which Gertrude (McGonagall) sips from that kills her. But, a major change is that the duel is a magical duel with wands. The poison tipped sword and the sword with a point are represented by spells. Also, instead of Claudius (Voldemort) dying by drinking from the cup and then being stabbed, he is instead hit by a spell by Harry. When all the fighting is over and only Hamlet (Harry) and Horatio (Ron) are alive, Harry tells Ron to tell his story in a seven novel series much in the same way Hamlet tells Horatio to recount his story. This parallel is rational because the main events are kept the same but for a few minor instances. Also, the changes made are only so slight as to accommodate the setting.
o Entrance of Fortinbras and English Ambassador: This entire scene is basically kept the same except for the character changes already stated.
General Rationale:
Overall, the connection between Hamlet and the Harry Potter series was drawn because of the great amount of similarities in characters. Although instances did not completely flow correctly, many moments work together quite well. Along with fitting different characters into different situations, there were enough characters in the Harry Potter series to draw from, which made finding similar characters rather easy. One can also see the parallels between Hamlet’s struggle for power and Harry Potter’s want to overthrow the evil reign of Voldemort. In the end, this choice was made because of the ease with which the stories could be melded.